Love comes softly
by Aura Kuran
Summary: AU-ish. Kaname has watched but seen nothing since eons, it's time he shows Zero what love can actually mean... but not every love story has a happy ending...


**A/N: Hi there! It makes me happy to know that you took the time to view this! ^^ - nods-**

**This is basically a collaboration story that a friend of mine wanted to do with me. The idea came out of nowhere and we had to face some hurdles and troubles regarding the plot and everything (Well mostly I was the trouble lol.) but in the end it all finally fell together and we kinda really enjoyed ourselves while we were at it XD**

**The credits do not only go to me but also to "Captaintsukiko34" who had been patient enough with me throughout the project ****and**** the one who got this thing out with me -applause- we did role playing here. Mine was Zero but I did some of Kaname's too ^_^!**

**The story's kinda AU-ish since we changed a lot of things in here...**

-X-

**Rated: **T

**Pairing: **KanameXZero (don't like, don't read)

**Summary:**"Kaname had watched but seen nothing since eons, it's time he shows Zero what love can actually mean... but not every love story has a happy ending..."

**Disclaimer: **We do NOT own vampire knight.

**Please enjoy and don't forget to drop me a lovely review! :)**

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><p>Would like to share a piece of my poetry done especially for this story! ^^<p>

_to memories we hold on,_

_we cannot meet,_

_but til the end shall I wait; _

_for love comes softly..._

**by Aura Kuran**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Darkness...<strong>_

Colossal black covered the city of St. Maria, the name fitting perfectly for it's mysterious but pure origins. Now sullied by the revolting creatures of the night called "vampires".

Vampires are the epitome of beasts. The leader of the night, the night-walkers, Satan's followers and other equally beastly names were taped to the likes of Kaname Kuran. For they were the creatures that thrived upon the innocent humans.

And hundreds of years earlier -according to legend that is- a woman with a murky brown hood, with silken strands of sun, had sacrificed herself in this very castle that Kaname was born in. She made the humans drink her poisonous blood that may or may not have killed most of humans that drank it. And those who survived were tasked to keep the vampires under control, and that is what started the hunter bloodline.

From then on, the vampires that were the top of human nation, those who owned the night were subdued into a system that valued human and vampire relations, and forbid any blood taking from humans, if it is not given willingly that is.

And twelve years ago, Kaname's royalty was snatched with bare hands by those hunters as well. Soon after, Kaname's parents were killed by his "uncle" Rido, when he couldn't stand his siblings decision to step down from the throne.

Now, Rido was to be placed in the insane asylum, also known as the workhouse, for it's resemblance to the London's workhouse. In both architecture and nature.

To say honestly, Kaname didn't feel the least bit of sympathy or grief at both his uncle and his -supposedly- parents death.

He truly felt disgust at the idea of even called the wretched bastards son. He should feel disgusted, he truly should. The woman who played with other men and women behind her husbands back, the man who abused his wife relentlessly should be hated with all his being.

He wasn't even sure that the sister that his mother turned into a human, was even Kaname's fathers _child._ Though he was sure that after this ordeal, he would have to deal with everything on his own.

No one will save him. No one will comfort him. No one will hold him tightly and say "I'll protect you..."

He wouldn't find happiness.

But all of that changed when he saw the silver haired hunter child, the future president of hunters association.

And his livelong obsession and demise.

* * *

><p><em><em>Vampires...<em>_

His senses and his mind were up on full focus and guard, alerting him of every minute detail. His hunter reflexes were ever so swift and precise; a natural talent gifted to himself by nature. The reason why he was so looked upon by the hunters association. The president trusted him enough to send him to this filthy place; a building full of vampires. Sure there were some other hunters present but they were all old and senior, very much skilled in their fields.

Amethyst eyes wandered around the huge mass of people through the grand room every now and then, trying to locate anything out of place like he was sent here to do, the wine glass long forgotten in his hand. He could blame it on his instincts though, for cringing away from any unwanted attention.

He slowly swirled the dark liquid in the elegant glass, his slender frame leaning against the wall at the far corner. He eventually brought the vessel to his lips and slightly tilted it to taste that tangy and metallic flavor as it rolled off his tongue and down his throat, the very taste that reminded him of that fateful night; the night when so much of precious blood was shed and his world was turned into an ugly shade of crimson blending with black. His world was really turned upside down that evening, driving him to a state of despair and agony, and burning away his true will for living, the real rationale of his very existence. Hadn't he really lost the volition to keep living? Wasn't his life twisted enough already? Why was he still here? What was he waiting for?

No...__no__, he __did__have a reason. He had yet to avenge for his parents and distorted life. Yes.._.___revenge,____hatred__; the very emotions the desperate monster within him fed upon every day, the reason why he chose to continue this game and not end this misery just yet, the reason why he was such a skillful fighter now. Ah, how could he forget that? The soul purpose of his struggle? He had yet to complete it...

The young hunter was snapped out of his thoughts as he saw a dark form advancing towards him, face set in a perfect, calm mask of indifference and movement fluent but ever graceful. The person's dark eyes... Oh the eyes, a beautiful shade of night with a seductive crimson mix. The hair a dark-chocolate oblivion that curled slightly at the collar of that beautiful, long neck. The dark attire emitting a wild doctrine yet equally elegant look. The being was a truly night creature, perfect enough to blend into the shadows.

__A pureblood...__

The hunters lavender hues quickly lifted to those breathtaking eyes that seemed to freeze everything that looked their way with their seductive beauty. The atmosphere seemed too tense for breathing as the two pliant figures faced each other, deadly violet meeting passionate brown as time seemed to lose its meaning. Only when that rich voice spoke, did the hunter snap out of his trance.

"Kiryu Zero, I believe?" the pureblood inquired, a soft smile painting his handsome features as the hunter slowly but briefly nodded. The pureblood elegantly held out a hand to the hunter, his eyes retaining a certain softness, and requesting him to oblige, "Accompany me for a while?"; A request not a command like a pureblood would usually do.

And to his utter shock and disbelieve, Zero accepted that hand...

* * *

><p>Kaname couldn't believe this was actually happening. The sliver haired hunter, whom he had watched growing up, who he had yearned to talk to, was actually beside him...<p>

The hunter beside him was moving with ever gracefulness, his eyes on sharp alert ; sometimes those amethyst eyes would flicker almost shyly at him and then will go back to being alert with a hint of something Kaname couldn't quite understand.

The breeze coming from the veranda was almost freezing as it was winter time, right about now. The ordinary humans would tuck their children in with soothing words, farmers would finish their work and go back to their loving wives, and most of all level E's would haunt the place like crawling roaches.

But the freezing breeze didn't hinder Kaname at all. Rather, he quite liked the winter; reminded him the first time he met Zero outside their shelter, snow falling in a beautiful curtain.

"You are, Kaname Kuran." The statement sounded more like a threat, rather than acknowledgment, Kaname wasn't all that surprised that Zero was the first to break the heavy silence.

"Yes, I am." Kaname nodded to show his confirmation.

"Shouldn't you be there? With the "vampires"?" Zero almost spit out the word vampires. Even though it's been years since his parents death, Zero is still haunted by those gruesome images imprinted in his mind.

"Since I'm the reason they're here, I have the right to roam wherever I desire..." The velvety seductive voice reasoned Zero out of those images on his mind, also sending up slight shiver up his back, whether from desire or fear, he knew not.

"Do you like it?" The pure blood continued, eyes taking in the beautiful, dark night.

"Like what?" Zero Looked at Kaname with confusion.

Kaname gave a slight chuckle, "The way you suppress your hunger, do you like hiding from your 'real self'?" The question came out hastily, what the pureblood truly meant to ask was left unanswered.

The hunter looked away, seeming very interested in just staring at the night vicinity ahead. It was obvious to the brunette that the ex-human didn't want to talk about it in the least, his distress was trenchant enough to him. And after all the hunter had been through at such an primeval stage; losing his menage and his humaneness, it didn't come as a surprise to Kaname. The pureblood knew of the pain of losing someone so precious; had dealt with it in his present as well as early life. So, he could say that, on some plane, they both shared a similar world; a world of loneliness and desolation.

"I'm leaving" the hunter replied, his voice debased and raw as he pushed himself away from the railing and made to depart but an agile, firm hold on his wrist obstructed him from doing so, the warmth radiating from that slight contact making his throat constrict uneasily.

"Don't hide, Zero..." again a _request_, not a _command_...

* * *

><p><em><strong>( THREE YEARS LATER )<strong>_

The slight shifting sound in the complete silence gave him the clue he wanted as he quickly climbed the old, broken stairs to the third floor, his hunter senses telling him that the next target was residing there. He slowly moved close to the door, his steps silent and his movements precise and accurate. A single mistake could get him into great trouble and he certainly didn't want that at all. He soundlessly entered the abandoned room, his eyes trying to form the figure of the "E" in the darkness as he slowly walked deeper into the room. The scent of spilt human blood was thick in the air and it only gave Zero all the more motivation to end this beast's life.

He slowly took in the dark room, his eyes darting out to suspect each and every corner, his gun perfectly positioned to take aim and pull the trigger at any given minute.

A loud grunt sounding from behind had the hunter immediately turning around as his eyes locked with a pair of filthy crimson ones, a shiver running up the ex-human's spine at the close proximity. He quickly readied his finger at the trigger to shoot. But before he could do so the vampire lashed out at him, knocking bloody rose away.

__Shit!__

The hunter quickly reached inside his pocket for the dagger he kept at hand, realizing that he may not be able to get his trusted gun in time because of the dark the room contained. But before he could act again, he was lifted from the ground and thrown against the far back wall, making him lose his balance as he dropped to the ground, making his fast progress slow down a bit. He quickly made to get up but before he could do so, a body above him pinned him back, caging him between its body and the floor.

__No, not this...__

He cried out, involuntarily, as sharp canines pierced the sensitive flesh of his neck, brutally, a groan escaping the level-E as it fed off his blood and fear. It took greedy gulps of the pure hunter blood that coursed through the hunters veins, probably taking pleasure in the sight.

Zero quickly recovered and took that time to act and strike, swiftly digging the sharp dagger into the E's thigh as it stumbled back and screamed out in agony.

__Guess, silver really does work...__

The hunter quickly took the opportunity to scoot away from the screaming vampire and look for his gun. Quickly locating it somewhere in the middle of the room, he turned back to the E. The pale finger pulled at the trigger followed by the roaring bang and a loud cry before dust skittered to the floor and marked the end of the vampire, the room falling quiet once again.

The hunter rolled his shoulders, trying to relax them before dropping his stretched hand and putting bloody rose back in its holster, safely.

__Pathetic, really__

The hunter raised his fingers to his neck and frowned. The skin wasn't healing and the blood was still flowing from the wound, staining his jacket and shirt crimson. He really needed to get home before some other vampire picked up the scent of his blood and he would have to deal with yet another blood craving leech.

* * *

><p>The silveratte quickly moved through the shadows, avoiding any contact with sunlight. This was bad...<em> very<em> bad. He was bleeding heavily, his limbs felt worn out and tired and most of all...the blood lust was really getting to him now. He needed to get back to the academy quickly or he was afraid that he might do something very, very wrong, if he lost his control now which was, unfortunately, too difficult to maintain right now.

The real side of himself was whispering things to him he didn't want to hear and tempting him to let it finally break lose...

He stopped mid-step, his body freezing...

_"___Don't hide, Zero..."__

__What...?__

His heart gave a arduous bang against his ribs, his breath getting caught in his throat as his eyes widened painfully, his irises almost losing their lavender shade and instead being replaced by lost silver and black, the blood rushing faster through his veins.

It had been three years since he'd seen that pureblood at the coronation event for the first and last time; the pureblood who had made him change his cognition about all vampires being vicious and remorseless. The person who hadn't failed to impress him about everything in the least.

He shook his head,__why am I thinking of ___**_him _**___right now?__

His fangs lengthened as a new type of pain gripped his whole form, sending violent shivers of fear passing throughout his body, trying to set free the monster tearing mercilessly at his insides. He gasped out loudly, trying to suck in some breath but his lungs failed to function, his eyes locking shut as wave per wave of cruel agony hit him like a million glass shards being embedded into his skin and damaging his insides. __Pain__was all that registered to his senses.._. ___mental... physical... spiritual pain___..._

He lost his balance as his legs failed him and he helplessly slumped to the cold, ground, his fingers clutching at his throat that felt like it was on fire. __So helpless.___.._Was he finally falling? Is this what felt to lose your humanity completely?

_"___Don't hide, Zero..."__

The hunter curled into himself as his limbs trembled ceaselessly, trying to block out the painful sensation and that sinful voice, but to no avail. The pain only seemed to grow thousand times with each passing second. Was this all finally going to end? Was he lastly going to die? Was all the blood lust he'd tried to restrain from these past years finally going to consume him?

He refused to let the moisture, gathering at his eyes, fall. Yes, this was it, wasn't it? The misery was finally going to end...

But then it__stopped__... completely...

His eyes snapped open...

__He was here...he could feel it... that awfully familiar presence...but where...?__

His whole body suddenly went numb, leaving not even a single trace of the pain that had attacked him like a savage beast, deadly silence of his surroundings suddenly felt deafeningly loud to his ears as he slowly sat up...

"Zero..." his eyes widened, his heart stopping for a few painful hear beats, his body jerking involuntarily as his lavender orbs squinted across the expanse of his milieu, trying to locate the figure of the man he sought for. To his disappointment, the abandoned place was as empty and silent as it had been a few minutes ago, not even a single thing out of place. But that was before a pair of warm, strong arms encircled him from behind and a familiar scent of rosewood and spice assaulted his senses, sending his mind into a state of delirium. His tense form relaxed slightly into the warm embrace before his eye-lids became a little too heavy and his tired limbs refused to let him move or even turn his head. He suddenly felt so tired and spent. Sleep claimed him and his form slackened slowly in those comforting arms.

"Rest now, my hunter..."

**_**Kaname...**_**

__He was here...__

* * *

><p>A soft, warm touch to his cheek had him sighing lightly as he moved into the tender touch, those slim, comforting fingers lovingly tracing the thick silver lashes before falling lower to caress those beautiful, thin lips. It felt so nice to Zero, the soothing touch seeming to bring a kind of comfort to his worn out state. Another long sigh escaped his lips as he clutched at the beautiful, cordial feeling that very touch brought to him, like a lovers embrace...<p>

__Lover...__

__What...?__

He immediately opened his eyes to look at the person that touch belonged to, his eyes taking some time to adjust to the darkness of the room. Glancing at the small amount of light permeating through the drapes, he figured it was somewhere in the afternoon.

_But he was alone..._

Sitting up with a low groan the hunter let his head rest on his arms that were positioned on his bent knees. A dream...? Most probably. And yet he distinctly knew who that person was...

__Kaname...__

He immediately shook his head.

__Damn, he didn't like that pureblood!__

__Oh, is that really true? __An inner, taunting voice seemed to say.

Growling deep in his throat, the hunter threw the covers off him and swung his legs down the edge of the bed and made to quickly get up...

But then froze...

His body didn't hurt anymore and there was not even a single trace of that maddening thrive for blood from earlier. The hunter quickly recalled the mission he had been sent to execute by the Association; the Level-E, the insane blood lust, the wound to his neck...

His hand quickly clamped over the right side of his neck, where he had been bitten by the mad vampire earlier. It was totally healed...

__But how...?__

_"_**Rest now, my hunter..."**__

His eyes widened as the memory of the warm presence that had him surrounded earlier and assaulting his senses _returned to him..._

__It can't be...__

He bolted out of the room, his mind reeling from all the confusion and desperation he suddenly felt at finding that certain person he longed to see...

__But why...? he didn't like him...he ___**_couldn't _**___like him...but then why...?__

__It's so simple, Zero.___.._that inner voice spoke again.

__What...?__

**_**...You're in love...**_**

__What?!__

But then the voice went quiet...

__No...not possible...__

The hunter stopped his advance, his hands coming up to cover his ears as he shook his head violently. It couldn't be true, could it? Could he really fall to such a low level? Could he betray his family and himself like this? Could he...fall in love with a __pureblood___?_

__No...He ___**_couldn't! _**___He'd rather die!__

But Zero knew otherwise; could feel it by the way he yearned for the man, could see it by the way his heart ached to feel that touch and see that beautiful face again.

__Could it really...be true...?__

The hunter was snapped out of his thoughts as he caught on a familiar voice conversing across the wall he was currently leaning against...

__Headmaster?__

"I know..." that was definitely the head master, but who...?

"This can't go on much longer. He would eventually fall before long" his heart gave a painful beat...

"Is there no other way?" his foster father's sound seemed desperate and thick with emotion...

"I'm afraid there is not" the other voice answered after a long pause. That__voice__. That sinful, rich voice...

And then everything fell quiet. But he smelled something in the air. He smelled... salt and...__tears?__

"My son..." Another heartbeat. That voice...it contained so much sorrow and disdain, it made his throat tighten painfully and his eyes water...

__Father...?__

_He could take it no longer!_

Without thinking, Zero banged open the door and barged into the room, not caring if it broke him to see his father, his only family, in such a state...because of him...

* * *

><p>He could feel it...could feel that increasing heartbeat outside the room, could feel that familiar aura of the hunter...<em><em>his <em>_hunter... standing out there, so close.

He wanted to comfort him, he wanted to take his pain away, he wanted to hug him and tell him that everything would be alright. But he knew it would all be to no use. There was nothing he could do...

The door banged open soon enough and his hunter finally entered, walking in and locking his eyes with the pureblood. A heartbeat reverberated through the king, sounding too loud to his own ears in the deadly and tense silence of the room. Those eyes...that soft almost desperate look in those breathtaking lavender pools, stole his very breath away, leaving him helpless and gazing back at those mesmerizing eyes.

_**_**Fear**_**___**.**____..pain...___**_**longing**_**___...regret..____**.**___**_**despair.**_**___..__

So many emotions swam through those very eyes that he longed to see, his intent breaking under that incapacitated gaze, that seemed almost unfocused with the intensity of the sentimental emotions playing through it.

__Zero...__

Forcing himself to break the eye contact, Kaname turned back to the headmaster, "Could you please give us a moment?" he politely asked and the ex-hunter quickly obliged, nodding at the pureblood and leaving the office at once, avoiding looking at Zero, not wanting his son to see the embarrassing tears running down his eyes that wouldn't stop. He couldn't break his sons will for living any further.

The man left and the heavy silence came haunting again, the purebloods gaze fixed outside the window as he tried to form proper words again; which, surprisingly, seemed too hard for him to do with the hunter standing in front of him.

But then the hunter himself decided to speak up.

"Why..." the voice was barely a whisper, making Kaname meet his eyes again. It hurt him to hear that pain and awful gentleness in the tone, "Why would you tell him that?" he finally asked, realizing the pureblood didn't understand him.

__Ah, so you mean the headmaster?__

The king was at a loss of words again, not knowing how to answer the silveratte...

"Why are you here, anyway?!" this time the hunters eyes snapped up to meet his again, his voice louder and aggravated. It was obvious that the hunter was really upset and pissed with him, making the pureloods heart clench painfully. He never wanted to do that...

"Zero..." a pained whisper, mostly to calm the furious teen, his feet finally advancing...

__Zero___..._****Zero****_... __**_**Zero.**_**___**.**___._

__I never meant to...__

__forgive me...__

__I'm so sorry for making you wait so long...__

* * *

><p>His breath trembled, his eyes widened, the tears finally fell; as his beloved pureblood finally closed the vacate distance between them and seized his lips in a soft, gentle kiss...<p>

_Kaname..._

The purebloods soft lips moved skillfully against his, that slender hand coming up to cradle the back of his neck and deepen the kiss as he tilted his head, the chocolate locks mixing with silver strands...

__Kaname...__

The familiar scent filled the hunters lungs and he inhaled it deeply...

_**Kaname...**_

The other hand secured around his waist and pulled him in...

__**Kaname...**__

The hunter wrapped his own arms tightly around that neck, their lips moving together in a beautiful rhythm as he kissed the brunette back in earnest...

__**Kaname...**__

The tears languidly flowed down his cheeks as the pureblood further deepened the kiss, stealing the breath out of his lungs, combing his long fingers through the soft, silver locks and trying to comfort the hunter, guiltily aware of that light salty scent.

This was all mind blowing to the silveratte and he lost himself completely to the beauty that was Kaname, his beloved pureblood, his longed king, his lifelong dilemma.

Both vampires lost themselves to the beautiful oblivion where nothing else but them existed, where they could drown into the warmth of each other, where they could not be differentiated as hunter and pureblood.

Zero kissed his pureblood back desperately, clinging to him as if afraid he would lose him if he let go, tears of longing still wetting his eyes and lashes. He didn't know he was this hopeless for this man until yet. He wanted to love and cherish this person with his very life. Even though they had only met before once and it was just a brief exchange of words between the two, he had come to yearn for this very being since then. For these last three years there had been something missing within his heart; an empty hole that ,for whatever he tried, couldn't ever be filled, even the love that his adoptive father had given him could not ease the pain. But now, he could feel it; his heart was finally one, no longer shattered into pieces.

For all these years he had denied this feeling, telling himself that it was just a twisted game played by his heart, that he didn't want to get involved into this battle. At first he didn't know what this feeling was really directed at. But when he realized what this was, he was disgusted with himself for falling to such a level. He hated himself for developing feelings for a__vampire__; a __pureblood, __no less.

**_Pureblood..._**

_"___Vampires are disgusting creatures, Zero"___**_**Father...**_**_

_"___They don't deserve any pity..."___**_**Mother...**_**_

_"___Hey, Zero? Why do vampires hurt people?"___**_**Ichiru...**_**_

Only when a tongue slowly traced his lower lip and the arms tightened around him, possessively, did the hunter snap out of his state of delirium...

_**"**__**_**Vampires can only be.. our enemies..." Master...**_**_

**_**PUREBLOOD!**_**

_"___I'll further curse your fate, child of the hunters..." ___**_**Shizuka hio!**_**_

**_NO!_**

_**"**__**_**He would eventually fall, before long..."**_**_

__It can't be...__

__How did I let this happen?__

He pushed...

__GO AWAY!__

His hands desperately pushed at the purebloods shoulders, chest, where ever he could to make him let go. This was so wrong. How did he let it happen?

Purebloods were ruthless creatures and they always used others for their own selfish reasons, didn't they? Really...who was he kidding?

They parted as Kaname finally let go, and Zero quickly sucked some air back into his body, his whole form trembling due to the onslaught of mixed emotions...

**_**Hurt**_**_**... pain... **_**_**anger**_**_**... ire...**_**_**betrayal**_**_**...**_

He took greedy gulps of air, trying to bring his body to relax as his eyes snapped up to meet those burgundy orbs that looked so soft, confused and...was that __hurt__that he saw in that gaze?

__Just an act... __the hunter told himself.

Moisture still poured down his now silver glazed eyes as they both stared at each other, lavender boring into soft mahogany with a furious intensity.

"Zero-"

"Shut up!" he snapped, his anger fueled by the hurt look the pureblood was giving him. And he was sure it was intentional, "Do you think you can just fool around with me like that?!"

He had not expected this. The purebloods eyes widened a fraction, "I could never-"

"Yeah, right" the silveratte laughed to himself, an empty and meaningless sound that seemed to reverberate through the whole room, "I don't give a __shit__ about your lies!"

"Zero, stop this..." the pureblood was again right in front of the hunter, his long fingers caressing his cheeks and wiping the tears gathered there, it hurt him to see Zero like this, "I could never lie to you. Don't you get it? Ever since that night... I've yearned for you, but thinking that you'd never want to see me again I've kept my distance. I've already denied myself for so long, Zero, but I..." Kaname's voice stammered due to the thick emotion it contained, but he continued nonetheless. He wanted his hunter to know, "I love you..." he whispered, his thumbs stroking the soft skin, "...So much...it hurts..." his voice trembled but he still continued, "...knowing that you won't ever love me back..."

The hunter gasped, not believing the words he was hearing,__but I do...__

"Kana-" he stopped abruptly. What was he gonna say...?

__**I love you back...**__

His hands came up to rest on the warm ones placed on his face before, to Kaname's disappointment, he pulled them away, his eyes hidden behind the curtain of silver hair. He couldn't speak. Where had all his anger gone?

"I'm sorry..." he found himself muttering , softly, "...I'm so sorry..."

A light kiss to his forehead, "Don't be..."

"No! You don't understand!" he pulled away again, immediately missing the warm contact, "I..." he stuttered, but then he finally gave in, "I love you too, Kaname!",__But I don't want to...__

He then turned away, deciding that it was time at last...

"I'm leaving..." and with that the hunter was gone, leaving a confused but sadly smiling pureblood behind...

__I'm sorry, Kaname... forgive me for this...__

* * *

><p><em><em>"I love you too, Kaname!"<em>_

__"I'm leaving..."__

Zero, His Zero, was confused.

Oh so, very confused and helpless. And none other than Kaname knew that sense of helplessness, the emotion that Kaname was most familiar with.

Kaname was helpless when he had no one to clutch on to.

He was helpless when his closest family was being ripped apart.

He was helpless when he first realised that he was in love with Zero.

And now, __he's helpless when his love is helpless...__

Kaname had been helpless most of his life. That's why, he didn't wish upon that searing pain of helplessness to taint Zero's innocence, or what was left of it.

__Why? Why do you run and hide from me? When you finally love me...you still hide, even now...__

"Zero..." With a soft moan, Kaname hid his face in his hands. Even if Zero hid from him, he would try and try again until Zero was left bare and open for his eyes only.

And if that didn't work, Kaname would try until there was nothing left of him anymore. He would gladly die and perish in the attempt if that's what it took. He loved the young man so much that he could not even begin to explain, there was a furious intensity to this feeling that he could not deny. His beloved had stolen his heart away at first sight that beautiful night and Kaname had gladly let him do so, knowing that it belonged to no one but his one and only lover... his Zero...

He had loved his Zero since these last long years, had loved him like a mad man, knowing that the hunter couldn't ever love him back. But now after what Zero said earlier...

"_I love you, Kaname!"_

Just as the pureblood leaned his body against the cool glass, he smelt it. He smelt that oh so, familiar and tantalizing smell of Zero's blood.

_Zero..._

In a flash, Kaname threw open the doors of his room that he had closed initially for his privacy. His mind was racing, filling itself with absurd thoughts. The smell was getting heavier by the second...

__Did Zero hurt himself?__

__Maybe he just cut himself somewhere... but the scent is too thick...__

__Did he...? No...he was too will full for that!__

Kaname's speed was almost a blur as he made his way to where his senses were telling him the strong scent was originating from. He almost kicked the door off of it's hinges as he finally neared Zero's room, the sight that greeted him was less than welcoming.

Zero...his Zero was lying in a dark pool of his own blood, bloody rose resting peacefully beside his awfully still form. Kaname didn't know what to think, his mind was a blank white sheet. His knees became heavy with dread as he approached Zero's motionless body.

"Zero..." Kaname touched the cold face of the man he loved with all his heart. With trembling fingers, dreading the outcome, he desperately checked for Zero's pulse...

_But there was none..._

Not even a hint of warmth or life, his body as cold as ice and his face as pale as death itself. But his features were relaxed and peaceful, as if he was satisfied with his end after all.

And only when a tear escaped his eyes did he realize that he was crying. For the first time he was crying, and it was when Zero was dead.

Kaname's knees became weak and he sat beside his beloved's corpse. His face was impassive as his eyes leaked countless tears that Kaname didn't know he had, didn't know he could ever shed.

His head was spinning, his mind was reeling, he could feel someone's footsteps approaching them. But he didn't care, his only reason for life was gone, _destroyed_.

Everything became blurry and time seemed to slow down, darkness was creeping up his soft brown eyes.

As he descended into a vast oblivion of unconsciousness, he thought...

**__...Love comes softly with the promise of spring...__**

_ **.THE END .**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Review!<strong>_


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